A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 782

Chapter 782: Chapter 557: Deep into the Snake's Den_1 Chapter 782: Chapter 557: Deep into the Snake's Den_1 “Are you guys scared of snakes?”

Early the next morning, Duanmu Huai called over Lorena and Mary and asked them this question.

“Um…not really fond of them.”

“Me neither.”

It was clear that both of them didn't like snakes, but the real question was…

“Are you scared?”

“Well, not really.”

Lorena answered quickly, which was normal considering she often traveled and must have encountered snakes quite a few times. She was likely used to them by now.

“I…I don't know, I've never encountered a snake before. I just know they're poisonous and dangerous animals…”

Certainly, Mary didn't appear to be the type of a lady who would recklessly roam about in places with snakes.

“Our target this time is like this…”

While speaking, Duanmu Huai explained the situation regarding the Nagas to the two, and when they learned that such a historically significant race was dwelling just beneath their town, they were both taken aback.

“Naga…we're up against such a race?”

“Correct, our goal is to eradicate them completely.”

“But we only have three people here.”

“You don't have to worry about that.”

In response to Mary's curious inquiry, a profound smile emerged on Duanmu Huai's face.

“We're not just the three of us.”

Just after having breakfast, Duanmu Huai brought Lorena and Mary to the aforementioned residence where Winscott used to live. The mansion still lay in ruins. The police caution tape was still there, but the lack of police presence indicated that this wasn't a priority for investigation anymore.

Duanmu Huai crossed the caution tape and arrived at the underground path Winscott mentioned. As expected, the end of the path was blocked by rubble from a collapsed structure. At least from this viewpoint, it was impossible to pass through.

“Oh wow…I didn't expect it to really have caved in. Is it really possible to dig through all this?”

Gazing at the completely blocked passage, Mary couldn't help but voice her worries. Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Watch, it's simple.”

As he spoke, Duanmu Huai raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The next moment, dozens of puppets appeared out of thin air and started digging.

“Huh? What? What is all this??”

Mary was taken aback at the sudden appearance of the puppets. Lorena, who had seen such things before, wasn't as surprised.

“Magic, didn't you learn it too?”

“I know, but…”

At this point, Mary couldn't help but look at Duanmu Huai incredulously.

“Mr. Duanmu, you can actually use magic?”

“Why, can't I?”

Mary scrutinized the muscular man in front of her, with his bulging muscles straining against his shirt, his bald head, and his ferocious looks…

Frankly speaking, he didn't look the part.

“I thought mages were supposed to be like Miss Lani…”

In comparison, Lani seemed to fit Mary's image of a mage more – the witch-like hat, the cloak, the magic wand in hand, always sitting on a chair, looking scholarly.

“In this day and age, mages who can't engage in close-quarters combat don't last. You've learned close-quarter combat as well, haven't you?”

“Well…that's true…”

It was true that most of what Mary learned from Lani was close-quarters combat. Magic abilities like the Kalya Swift Sword or Kalya Great Sword were just magic power gathered to form a blade, they still depended on her own close-quarter combat skills. But Mary had overlooked this fact because the Kalya magic was so flashy.

“Does that mean all mages are like this?”

“Of course. Let me tell you, a so-called Archmage just learns the Flash Technique, fully masters the Whirlwind Slash and then charges in for close combat. Isn't that what you do?”

Even though he said it quite plainly, Mary found this explanation quite hard to swallow.

“And Lorena's the same, right? Don't think just because she's a priest that she's not fierce in a fight.”

“Well…that's true.”

Mary has certainly witnessed Lorena in battle before, and has seen the splendid priestly garments she wore during many such fights. A white robe framed with golden edges, adorned with sacred patterns, indeed gives the impression of praying and chanting in a church or at an altar.

However, this gentle girl, who always wore a smile on her face in normal times, was exceptionally ferocious in battle. Mary had more than once witnessed her wielding the huge Holy Canon, smashing monsters so hard their brains burst out… To be honest, Mary didn't think this was something that ordinary priests or pastors would do – in her impression, most priests and pastors prayed in churches or comforted their followers, offering encouragement from behind their congregants… Hm?

Could it be that her own common sense was flawed?

Just as Mary began to doubt her sense of understanding, the puppets had cleared the previously blocked passage once again.

“Alright, let's go in.”

The reason for choosing this path again was that according to Ling'Nu's survey, there was only one way below the Naga Empire–one they had always used to reach the surface. The other was here, a route closer to the rear of the Naga Lair due to its sealed state.

In other words, unlike the commonly used path, this was not heavily guarded by the Naga, making it more suitable for a sneak attack. Although Winscott must have startled the snake upon their descent, considering that Winscott had once again collapsed this place, even the Naga probably didn't believe anyone else would come through this way.

Well, that's how it should be.

After passing through the collapsed passageway, the group quickly found the underground passage which Winscott had mentioned – they advanced and soon arrived at a large cave below.

“Wow…”

Looking at the scene before their eyes, Mary couldn't help but be surprised, letting out an exclamatory sigh.

When Winscott had previously narrated, perhaps due to being overly tense or not wanting to reminisce, he hadn't detailed the scene here. However, for Mary, upon seeing this underground cavern, her first response was…

“So beautiful…”

Indeed, just as Mary said, the underground cave was not just a cave, but much more – the walls were smooth and neat, with tall stone columns on both sides. The walls and columns were covered in complex and beautiful carvings. In addition to that, the moss strewn across the ground and walls was emitting a blueish-white glow, making it a truly breathtaking sight.

“It looks exactly like an underground ruin. Once discovered, surely it would be excavated and studied extensively.”

As a student of the history department, Mary clearly understood the excitement such a discovery would bring.

“Let's see how it goes. If everything goes smoothly, there might be no harm in staying here.”

This was the civilization of the Naga Empire, with records about the Snake God inside. If Duanmu Huai could succeed in killing the Snake God, then the records here could be preserved as archaeological discoveries. Conversely, if the cunning Snake God were to escape from Duanmu Huai, he would have to completely destroy this place.

“Alright, this is not the time to take in the sights.”

Duanmu Huai lowered his voice as he had noticed several shadowy figures lurking in the dimly lit areas that the light didn't reach. Although it wasn't known what they were, it was clear that if the pace wasn't quickened, they would be discovered by the Naga.

“Let's go!”

The strategy Duanmu Huai adopted was simple – spearhead the attack, directly piercing into the center, while the Puppet Army followed immediately behind him, tasked with stalling any creatures that detected their presence and attempting to eliminate them. After all, for Duanmu Huai, as long as he had sufficient Soul Cards, he himself was a one-man army and didn't need to worry about this aspect.

According to Ling'Nu's survey, the majority of creatures in the area were white-haired apes and evil spirits, with the least being Naga–this was understandable since the metal skeletons would have their own creations guard the tomb while they slumbered in their coffins.

Only a handful of Naga were responsible for protecting the lair, and among them should be a leader–but Ling'Nu hadn't gone in because she felt danger and decisively retreated.

That can't be helped. After all, in this world, Ling'Nu is just a pitiful little kitty and not a stealthy female ninja. Otherwise, there would have been no need for Duanmu Huai to step in. Perhaps, she could have stealthily wiped out all the Nagas in the lair overnight.

Now, all Duanmu Huai needs to do is to get to the area Ling'Nu marked as dangerous and eliminate the threats there.

Although the underground moss provides some light, the entire cave is still quite dim. However, this doesn't trouble Duanmu Huai and his team. A sapphire blue magic orb floats above their heads, illuminating the path ahead– this is one of the spells Mary learned from Lani, called Starlight.

Truth be told, Mary didn't learn many spells from Lani, but each one she did is of great importance. Starlight is for illumination; acting as emotional stabilizers, Magic Shining Sword for ranged attacks, Kalya Swift Sword and Great Sword for close combat. Lani is indeed a remarkable mage. Although Mary's limited magic power prevents her from learning many spells, the few she knows coupled with these are enough to solve most difficulties encountered.

In this regard, Lani really values Mary.

“Let's go this way.”

There was a passage ahead, but Duanmu Huai chose to take a side path. Normally, he would have charged straight ahead, but Ling'Nu told him there was a trap there. Duanmu Huai was then relieved to have Ling'Nu around. Although he wasn't afraid of most traps, he appreciated the heads up..

“But Mr. Duanmu, there's no way forward!”

Moving forward past the corner, they were met by what seemed to be an abyss-like cliff.

“It's okay, get ready!”

As he spoke, Duanmu Huai reached out and grabbed both Lorena and Mary, and then jumped down!

“Whoosh———-!!”

Mary was startled by the sudden jump. She instinctively closed her eyes, only sensed the wind whistling past her ears, and then the next moment, slammed heavily onto the ground with Duanmu Huai. Then, he set Lorena and Mary back to the ground.

“Huff……”
Unlike Mary, Lorena had already used to it. She even stretched lazily after landing, while Mary broke into a cold sweat and sat down on the ground, looking pale.

“Mr. Duanmu, that was really dangerous! I thought I was going to die from the fall!”

Suffice to say, none of the magic spells Lani taught Mary could help her fly.

“It's okay; you'll get used to it after doing it a few more times.”

As he said this, Duanmu Huai looked ahead.

“But now, it's time to prepare for battle.”

“Hiss hiss hiss———-!!”

As Duanmu Huai spoke, Mary also heard noise from the darkness ahead. She instinctively tightened her grip on her magic wand and stood up, staring ahead.

Then, under the glow of the magic light, dark monsters emerged from the shadows.

Chapter end

Report